Pablo Lounge opened yesterday in the premises that used to be New Look. The builders have been kitting it out for the last month or so and it looks jolly colorful inside.

New Look in Abingdon is not in the list of shops to be closed as the chain tries to turn round their finances. 60 from 600 shops are to close.

However Thomas Cook in Abingdon have closed their Abingdon shop as part of a closure of 50 from 690 stores. You can still find them in Wantage.

The new Christmas Olympic decorations have arrived in the Bury Street, Abingdon. We may have to wait a few weeks more to see them turned on.

At the other end of the precinct,  the ABCD Film Society and the Abingdon Community Hospital League of Friends were sharing the Community Free Space on Saturday. The Film Society were giving out programmes of films for 2017/18. The Friends were selling raffle tickets to raise funds for the hospital. They could do with some younger members. So anybody interested in supporting them see The ACHLOF website.

There have been some changes in Bury Street in the last week. Peacocks are hiring staff now for an Abingdon Store.

It is where the Somerfield / Co-op used to be. The shop will sell value womens fashion, menswear and childrens clothing. This means children’s clothes will be on sale in the town centre for the first time in a few years.

Over the road, Lloyds Pharmacy are turning into Jhoots Pharmacy and are also hiring staff.

Bury Street is filling up, and doing better than at any time in the last ten years. One kiosk, and two empty shops remain to be let – and one of those is The Community Freespace – which may not bring in money to the landlord, but does bring goodwill.